Bacon-Deer Burgers are Fabulous! Here is a list of things to make them a little easier:
Single Burger Press. (Mine was like 20.00 at Gander Mtn.)
Ice Cream Scoop with release lever (Correct size for your burgers) Mine holds exactly 1/2 cup of liquid.
Box of 5" wax paper squares. (Look for a restaurant supply in your area.) They were outrageous on line last I checked. I am lucky enough to have a place like 2 miles from my house and they are like 7.00 for 1000 sheets. Could bring to Strouds if anyone wants them.....
Main thing about bacon burgers is getting the hang of judging your bacon quality. Some value boxes have much more fat than others. If the bacon is on the fatty side, use a 3-1 method. Ex: 12# Deer to 4# Bacon or 25%. If it appears to be good looking bacon, I only use a 2-1 which is 12# Deer to 6# Bacon or 33%.
I like to get the bacon nearly frozen if not so. It is much easier to work with.
Most all deer fat is trimmed out during the processing. As with the bacon, the colder your deer is, the better for grinding.
Same goes for your grinder. Colder it is the better the grinding.
Cut all deer and bacon into smaller pieces. (approx 1 1/2" or less) This will give a better mix by hand before it even hits the grinder. Grind meat twice for a good mix.
At this point, put grind in fridge and wash EVERYTHING. Once utensils and grinder air dries, makes clean up MUCH HARDER!
After grinding, use the ice cream scoop to put packed/level scoops of ground mix out on a cutting board.
Center a wax sheet on the press, place a "ball" of meat on it, another wax sheet on top and smash! (the ball of meat needs to be just off-center towards the hinge)
4 in a stack or 2 stacks of 3 will fit in a quart vacuum bag nicely.
While frozen just shove a butter knife between burgers and they will pop apart easily. Wax paper peels easily also.
Get a press like this one. It is adjustable to make different thickness burgers. Plastic is cheaper but flimsy and they suck!
Mount your press on a board and put anti-skid rubber underneath. (Like for drawers and toolbox's). Also fold up a hand towel and put under where your top will hit the counter. We have found this to be quite handy.
This whole ordeal is a bit of a process. But once the burgers are all done and in the freezer, you will be so glad you did! And every woman who has cooked them rant about how easy they are to cook from the freezer. Easy means you will get them more often! I also know several women who "Swore" they would never eat a deer...But they ate and love these burgers! Those of you who have tried them know what I am saying. Any questions please feel free to ask!
Single Burger Press. (Mine was like 20.00 at Gander Mtn.)
Ice Cream Scoop with release lever (Correct size for your burgers) Mine holds exactly 1/2 cup of liquid.
Box of 5" wax paper squares. (Look for a restaurant supply in your area.) They were outrageous on line last I checked. I am lucky enough to have a place like 2 miles from my house and they are like 7.00 for 1000 sheets. Could bring to Strouds if anyone wants them.....
Main thing about bacon burgers is getting the hang of judging your bacon quality. Some value boxes have much more fat than others. If the bacon is on the fatty side, use a 3-1 method. Ex: 12# Deer to 4# Bacon or 25%. If it appears to be good looking bacon, I only use a 2-1 which is 12# Deer to 6# Bacon or 33%.
I like to get the bacon nearly frozen if not so. It is much easier to work with.
Most all deer fat is trimmed out during the processing. As with the bacon, the colder your deer is, the better for grinding.
Same goes for your grinder. Colder it is the better the grinding.
Cut all deer and bacon into smaller pieces. (approx 1 1/2" or less) This will give a better mix by hand before it even hits the grinder. Grind meat twice for a good mix.
At this point, put grind in fridge and wash EVERYTHING. Once utensils and grinder air dries, makes clean up MUCH HARDER!
After grinding, use the ice cream scoop to put packed/level scoops of ground mix out on a cutting board.
Center a wax sheet on the press, place a "ball" of meat on it, another wax sheet on top and smash! (the ball of meat needs to be just off-center towards the hinge)
4 in a stack or 2 stacks of 3 will fit in a quart vacuum bag nicely.
While frozen just shove a butter knife between burgers and they will pop apart easily. Wax paper peels easily also.
Get a press like this one. It is adjustable to make different thickness burgers. Plastic is cheaper but flimsy and they suck!Mount your press on a board and put anti-skid rubber underneath. (Like for drawers and toolbox's). Also fold up a hand towel and put under where your top will hit the counter. We have found this to be quite handy.
This whole ordeal is a bit of a process. But once the burgers are all done and in the freezer, you will be so glad you did! And every woman who has cooked them rant about how easy they are to cook from the freezer. Easy means you will get them more often! I also know several women who "Swore" they would never eat a deer...But they ate and love these burgers! Those of you who have tried them know what I am saying. Any questions please feel free to ask!
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